That is a deep state power move. Those agents who got cleared took a long time to obtain those clearances and likely went through the arduous (and invasive) process of giving Uncle Sam access to their personal, social, and financial information.
If they’ve hinged their entire livelihood on staying in a cleared job (whether as a federal employee or contractor), those people will now be extremely limited in the jobs they’ll be able to take in the future.
Also, there’s money in cleared work. The higher your clearance level, the more you can get paid (as a contractor). It’s not uncommon for a federal employee to make 2-3x more as a cleared contractor.
This move, to me, feels punitive from a financial and future career perspective.
That is a deep state power move. Those agents who got cleared took a long time to obtain those clearances and likely went through the arduous (and invasive) process of giving Uncle Sam access to their personal, social, and financial information.
If they’ve hinged their entire livelihood on staying in a cleared job (whether as a federal employee or contractor), those people will now be extremely limited in the jobs they’ll be able to take in the future.
Also, there’s money in cleared work. The higher your clearance level, the more you can get paid (as a contractor). It’s not uncommon for a federal employee to make 2-3x more as a cleared contractor.
This move, to me, feels punitive from a financial and future career perspective.
They were likely quickly read out of whatever projects they were into, and told the whole "keep this info safe or go to prison".